This webpage provides a working list of some of the cultivated plant collections held throughout New Zealand.
The information compiled here is part of a current New Zealand Plant Collection Register project, to provide a free online system to manage and deliver information on live plant collections and cultivated plant names throughout New Zealand. This project was first explained in the RNZIH Newsletter, December 2011, No. 3, pp. 10–11.
- Ayrlies Garden
- Broadfield NZ Landscape Garden
- CASC gardens, Lincoln
- National NZ Flax Collection, Lincoln
- Larnach Castle gardens
2. Botanic gardens and public parks and reserves
3. Arboreta
- Fernglen
- Auckland Domain
- Auckland Botanic Gardens
- Hamilton Gardens
- Gisborne Botanical Gardens
- Pukekura Park & Brooklands
- Tupare Gardens
- Bason Botanic Gardens
- Percy Scenic Reserve
- Wellington Botanic Garden
- Otari Native Botanic Garden and Wilton's Bush Reserve
- Christchurch Botanic Gardens
- Timaru Botanic Gardens
- Oamaru Public Gardens
- Dunedin Botanic Garden
- Queenstown Gardens
- Queenspark
Broadfield New Zealand Landscape Garden
Location: 250 Selwyn Road, Weedons, Canterbury.
Area: 3.5 hectares.
History of establishment: Established for some 20 years.
Governance: Privately owned garden.
Collections curator / manager: David Hobbs, owner.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Kauri Forest Garden.
- NZ raised varieties of azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, cherry cornus, maples, peony perennials, daffodils, lily, and roses.
Scope of collections: Includes >115 taxa growing in the Kauri Forest Garden and 378 rhododendron species, hybrids and cultivars.
Notable genera or species: Camellia, Rhododendron
Email: broadfieldestates@xtra.co.nz
Websites:
Canterbury Agricultural and Science Centre gardens, Lincoln
National NZ Flax Collection, Lincoln
2. Botanic gardens and public parks and reserves with significant cultivated plant collections
Location: 38 Kauri Road, Birkenhead, Auckland.
Area: 3.6 hectares Kauri Association forest and bush, 0.2 hectares cultivated gardens.
History of establishment:
Fernglen, named after the family home in England, was purchased by Frank Fisher in July 1888. The property consisted of native bush and scrubland. Part of the scrubland was cleared for market gardening and grazing, and the native bush area was interplanted with pohutukawa, rimu and kahikatea in the early 1920s.
Frank Fisher was a skilled propagator and passed on his knowledge to his son Bill. Bill Fisher married Muriel in 1952 who was also a native plant enthusiast. They both lived at Fernglen where Bill was most interested in ferns and Muriel specialised in alpine plants and hebes. She had a dream of creating an open air plant museum similar to Otari, so in the late 1950's they began importing scoria, rocks, and peat onto the property.
They exchanged information and plant material obtaining many specimens from Otari, swapping northern species for southern species. They went on expeditions into the mountains and other areas to collect plants to stock the garden.
For several years Muriel and Bill developed Fernglen into a nursery which remained viable until 1987 when Bill died. The property was acquired in 1989 by the former Birkenhead City Council, partially gifted by Muriel Fisher and was opened to the public on 28 September 1991. Muriel died in July 2012.
(History summarised from the former Fernglen website).
Description: Fernglen is devoted solely to the growing and preservation of New Zealand plants. Walking tracks through bushland including ancient kauri and rimu. Cultivated ferns, alpine plants and threatened species from the New Zealand Botanical Region.
Governance: Owned by the Auckland Council and administered by the Auckland Council Parks Department. Supported by Friends of Fernglen.
Collections curator / manager: Neville Arbury.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Indigenous bush with native trees and shrubs.
- Wetlands area.
- Cultivated New Zealand native plants:
- Alpine plants.
- Threatened plants.
- Fernery.
Scope of collections:
- Dicots: c. 370 taxa.
- Monocots: c. 60 taxa.
- Ferns: c. 60 taxa.
Notable genera or species: n/a
Email: fernglen.nz@gmail.com
Location: Park Road, Grafton, Auckland 1010.
Area: 75 hectares.
History of establishment: Auckland Domain is the city's oldest park, and at 75 ha is one of the largest in the city.
The Formal Gardens evolved from an 1860s Auckland Acclimatisation Society site to test and propagate exotic trees, birds, and trout.
The Duck Ponds are the source, in 1866, of Auckland's first piped water supply.
The nearby kiosk made its debut at the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1913-1914 as 'the ideal New Zealand house'.
The 1912 band rotunda, and the statuary, inform of the Domain's tradition of individual or publicly subscribed gifts.
Governance: Auckland Council.
Collections curator / manager:
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Wintergardens.
Scope of collections:
- n/a
Notable genera or species: n/a
Email: enquiries@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Websites:
Location: 102 Hill Road, Manurewa, Auckland.
Area: 64 hectares.
History of establishment: The first block of land was purchased 1968, development started from 1973, and the garden officially opened to the public in 1982.
Governance: Auckland Council with support from Friends of the Auckland Botanic Gardens.
Collections curator / manager: Jack Hobbs.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- New Zealand Native Plant Collection (in several areas).
- Roses.
- Children's Garden.
- Shrubs Trial Garden.
- Gondwana Arboretum.
- Edible Garden.
- Perennial Garden.
- Camellia Garden.
- African Garden.
- Rock Garden.
- Palm Garden.
- Urban Trees.
Scope of collections:
- >10,000 plants.
Notable genera or species: n/a
Email: botanic.gardens@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Websites:
- Official website of the Auckland Botanic Gardens
Other websites:
Hamilton Gardens
Location: a group of public gardens in the south of Hamilton.
Area: n/a
History of establishment: The first development of gardens began in the early 1960s at what was then the city's waste disposal site. The first substantial development, the Rogers Rose Garden, was opened in 1971 in an attempt to block highway development over the site. Since 1982 many newly developed areas have been opened to the public.
Governance: Hamilton City Council.
Collections curator / manager: Peter Sergel
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Cultivar Garden Collection
- Hammond Camellia Garden.
- New Zealand Cultivar Garden.
- Rhododendron Lawn.
- Rogers Rose Garden.
- Victorian Flower Garden
- Fantasy Garden Collection
- Tropical Garden.
- Chinoiserie Garden.
- Tudor Garden.
- Landscape Garden Collection
- Bussaco Woodland.
- Echo Bank Bush.
- Hamilton East Cemetery.
- Valley Walk.
- Paradise Garden Collection
- American Modernist Garden.
- Chinese Scholars Garden.
- English Flower Garden.
- Japanese Garden of Contemplation.
- Indian Char Bagh Garden.
- Italian Renaissance Garden.
- Productive Garden Collection
- Herb Garden.
- Kitchen Garden.
- Maori Garden.
- Sustainable Backyard Garden.
Scope of collections: n/a
Notable genera or species: n/a
Email: hamilton.gardens@hcc.govt.nz
Websites:
- Official website of the Hamilton Gardens
Other websites:
Location: Located along the Taruheru River, less than a kilometre from the Gisborne Central Business District.
Area: 5.1 hectares.
History of establishment: The Botanical Gardens was set aside in 1874 as a public garden. By the late 1800s the reserve had been developed into Gisborne's first recreation reserve. In earlier years it was described as being developed as formal botanical gardens, with ornate grand entrance gates, wide pathways and rows of flower beds. In another phase, during the late 1960s, council decided it was to be managed as a park. However in the 1970s the area was shifted back to a botanic garden style management. The Gardens has a history of being well-used and is still one of the cities most popular reserves.
Governance: Gisborne District Council, the Friends of the Botanical Gardens and the Gisborne Sister Cities Committee.
Collections curator / manager: n/a
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Three sister city gardens:
- Australian garden - the first "sister city garden", commenced in 1997, to honour the relation with Gisborne, Victoria.
- Japanese garden - the garden that is inspired by the relation with Nonoichi, Ishikawa.
- Palm Desert garden - for the third sister city, Palm Desert, California. This garden also holds the Cacti Collection (partly in the Glasshouse).
- Other gardens include:
- New Zealand Native Bush garden.
- Riverside garden.
Scope of collections: n/a
Notable genera or species: Notable trees include:
- Araucaria bidwillii - the bunya bunya from Queensland.
- Araucaria cookii or Araucaria columnaris - Captain Cook's pine from New Caledonia.
- Cedrus atlantica var. glauca - the blue Atlas cedar.
- Ginkgo biloba - the maidenhair tree from China.
- Liriodendron tulipifera - the tulip tree.
- Platanus acerifolia - the London plane from Europe.
- Quercus palustris - the pin oak from south east Canada and eastern USA.
- Quercus robur - the common oak from Europe.
- Tilia x europaea - the common, or European lime.
- Ulmus carpinifolia var. variegata or Ulmus minor subsp. minor - the smooth-leaved elm.
Email: n/a
Websites:
- Official website of the Gisborne Botanical Gardens
Other websites:
Location: Fillis Street, New Plymouth.
Area: 52 hectares.
History of establishment: Established in 1875 through the last public act of the Taranaki Provincial Council when they passed the ‘Botanical Gardens and Public Recreations Grounds Bill’. This was ratified by the National Parliament a year later with the passing of the Taranaki Botanic Garden Act. That same year (1876) three exotic trees and a native puriri were planted during a public ceremony in recognition of the establishment of the Taranaki Botanic Garden and Recreation Ground. In 1908 this reserve was renamed Pukekura Park which remains under that name today albeit with the addition of Brooklands estate.
See http://www.newplymouthnz.com/OurDistrict/Attractions/PukekuraPark/History.htm for a more detailed history.
Description: Pukekura Park contains a diverse range of landscapes, including many plant collections, exotic specimen trees, formal gardens, lakes and walking trails through native bush. The park includes the Fernery and Display Houses as well as the adjacent garden estate area of Brooklands, home to the TSB Bowl of Brooklands and Brooklands Zoo.
Governance: New Plymouth District Council.
Collections curator / manager: n/a
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Feature Gardens and Trees:
- Kunming Garden
- Japanese Hillside
- King Fern Gully
- Fernery and Display Houses
- Hatchery Lawn
- Eastern Hillside
- Stainton Dell and Fred Parker Lawn
- Goodwin Dell
- Kauri Grove
- Rhododendron Dell
- Palm Lawn
- Ancient Puriri Tree
- Historic Giant Ginkgo Tree
- Chinese Collection
- Tea House Wisterias
- Fernery and Display Houses:
- Native ferns
- Orchids - the largest collection of Disa orchids in New Zealand
- Begonias, Tuberous, Cane and Rhizomatous.
- Fuchsias.
- Bulbs including Eucomis, Veltheimia and Aroides.
- Bromeliads
- Carnivorous plants.
- Native trees and shrubs.
- Coleus.
- Gesneriades, Stretocarpus and Achimenes.
- Vireya Rhododendrons.
Scope of collections: 50,000 plants
Notable genera or species: as listed above.
Email: enquiries@npdc.govt.nz
Websites:
- Official website of Pukekura Park
Other websites:
Location: 552 Rapanui Road, Westmere 4574.
Area: 25 hectares.
History of establishment: Founded in 1966, Stanley and Blanche Bason gave their farm to the city council for the purpose of creating a botanical reserve, and road work and the damming of Mowhanau stream took place in 1971. The garden was developed between 1980 and 2000.
Governance: Wanganui District Council in partnership with the Bason Botanic Gardens Trust.
Collections curator / manager: n/a
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Conifer Arboretum.
- Dress Circle.
- Millennium Hill.
- Native Bush and Wetlands.
- Lakeside Flats.
- Woodlands area.
Scope of collections: n/a
Notable genera or species:
- Orchids.
- Begonia.
- Camellia.
- Metrosideros.
- Sophora (kowhai).
- Native shrubs and trees.
- Flaxes.
- Palms.
- Eucalypts.
- Succulents.
Email: wdc@wanganui.govt.nz
Websites:
Location: Korokoro, Lower Hutt 5012.
Area: 16.93 hectares, including Ratanui properties acquired in 2013. This total area comprises Percy Scenic Reserve (13.72 ha) and Ratanui (3.21 ha).
History of establishment:
Percy family history has been tied to the lower reserve from the 1840s/early 1950s when the property supported a flour mill and functioned as the domestic setting of the colonist Joseph Hewlett Percy and his family. Occupied continuously by the Percy family, the property became the aesthetic and experimental backdrop in the lives of William, Walter and Arthur Percy who lived in the mill until the late 1930s.
Following the death of Arthur Percy in 1937, other property was acquired by the Crown in 1939.
Between 1882 and 1907 Sir James Hector and his family owned land immediately south of Percy Scenic Reserve. Hector’s land was known as “Ratanui”. James Hector was a scientist and a senior public servant. Hector received many awards and honours and a number of native species, memorials, landmarks and geographical features are named after him. In 2013 the Department of Conservation, with assistance from the Hutt City Council, acquired the some of the land previously owned by Hector from the New Zealand Transport Agency. These 5 properties, 3.21 ha in total, will be classified as reserve, owned by the Department and managed by Council in 2014.
Members of the New Zealand Plant Preservation Society Incorporated gave significant assistance to the reserve. Since its official opening in 1949 by the Deputy Prime Minister Walter Nash, the site was operated as a scenic reserve by the Petone Borough Council. The operation was inherited by the Hutt City Council following local government amalgamation in 1989. The Wellington Botanical Society have a close association with Percy Scenic Reserve.
A constant theme in the reserve biography has been its role as both and in-situ and ex-situ field for indigenous plant propagation, experimentation and preservation. The first dedicated threatened plants garden was completed in 1996. Up until this time pants had been informally woven into the fabric of the lower reserve in small numbers. To coincide with this new planting regime and to address theft and vandalism concerns it was considered prudent to institute an insurance planting policy where at least on spare plant of each species as planted either in the nursery, reserve or around council’s gardens. A number of threatened species were propagated at Percy Scenic Reserve in sufficient numbers to plant into suburban street gardens, particularly around Petone. Success stories include propagation of Euphorbia glauca and Muehlenbeckia astonii.
Since the 1980s New Zealand plants have gradually displaced the earlier ornamental-exotic aesthetic. The emphasis on New Zealand plants has been approved by Council and was reinforced when Council adopted the reserve management plan for Percy Scenic Reserve and stated that its expectation is for the botanical collections at Percy Scenic Reserve to become nationally significant.
The geographical area known as Percy Scenic Reserve is made up of several contiguous reserves. The earliest of these, Percy Gully reserve has been held as reserve since 1907. The gully reserve provides a sample of unmodified native coastal forest.
The wider reserve is dominated by regenerating bush with links to the earliest European settlement in the area. Much of the cultivated plant collection was obtained by staff at the Department of Conservation (and the predecessors of the Department) and staff based at Percy Scenic Reserve. The late A. P. Druce, a renowned botanist/ecologist from Pinehaven, Upper Hutt, gifted a substantial potted collection of native alpine plants to Percy Scenic Reserve in 1995.
Most of this history comes from the 2009 Hutt City Council Reserve Management Plan for Percy Scenic Reserve and Jubilee Park and the 2006 Percy Scenic Reserve Historical Investigation and Conservation Plan prepared by John P. Adam and Louise Beaumont.
Description: Percy Scenic Reserve comprises several properties, most owned by the Department of Conservation (DoC) with Scenic Reserve status under the Reserves Act 1977. It contains regenerating bush and forest and exotic specimen trees, a pond, lawns, walking tracks, nursery facilities, weta cave, cultivated gardens and storm water infrastructure. Percy Scenic Reserve forms the base of a kohekohe forest gully which divides the suburbs of Maungaraki and Korokoro from the Valley Floor (SH2) / Wairarapa rail line almost to the ridge below Maungaraki Road.
Governance: The site is mostly owned by DoC. Management is vested in Hutt City Council and the operational work is carried out under contract by Downer NZ Ltd.
Collections curator/manager: Aaron Marsh, Hutt City Council Asset Manager.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Indigenous bush with native trees and shrubs.
- Exotic specimen trees.
- New Zealand native plants:
- Fern collection.
- Myosotis collection.
- Dracophyllum garden.
- Ex-situ collection of threatened plant species from Northland and Surville Cliffs, Northwest Nelson and Mt Burnett, Chatham Islands and other New Zealand offshore islands.
- Alpine rockery.
- The A. P. Druce potted alpine collection.
Scope of collections: c. 400 taxa (species, subspecies and varieties) in houses and a rockery plus additional specimens in the cultivated collections located within the reserve. These figures exclude the regenerating bush or forest surrounding the cultivated areas of the reserve.
Notable genera or species:
- Celmisia.
- Dracophyllum.
- Helichrysum.
- Myosotis.
Email: contact@huttcity.govt.nz
Websites:
- Official website of Percy Scenic Reserve
Other websites:
Location: 101 Glenmore, Kelburn, Wellington 6012.
Area: 25 hectares.
History of establishment: One of the oldest botanic gardens in New Zealand, this central city garden was established in 1868. The major conifer species which are a feature were planted then as part of a programme to import plant species and assess their economic potential to the new colony. The very large specimens of Pinus radiata that dominate the landscape were grown from the first seed of that species to be imported from California.
Governance: Wellington City Council.
Collections curator/manager: David Sole.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Australian Garden.
- Begonia House.
- Bolton Street Memorial Park.
- Camellias.
- Exotic forest.
- Fragrant garden.
- Herb garden.
- Horseshoe Bend.
- Hydrangea Gully.
- Lady Norwood Rose Garden.
- Magnolias.
- Maori flax collection.
- Native forest.
- Ornamental grasses.
- Perennials.
- Rhododendrons.
- Rock gardens.
- Succulents.
- Trees.
Scope of collections: n/a
Notable genera or species: n/a
Email: treehouse@wcc.govt.nz
Websites:
- Official website of the Wellington Botanic Garden
Other websites:
Otari Native Botanic Garden and Wilton's Bush Reserve
Location: 160 Wilton Road, Wellington.
Area: 100 hectares of native forest and 5 hectares of plant collections.
History of establishment: Otari-Wilton’s Bush is the only botanic garden in New Zealand dedicated solely to native plants. This unique plant sanctuary and forest reserve consists of 100 hectares of native forest and five hectares of plant collections. Otari-Wilton’s Bush was originally covered with dense podocarp broadleaf forest. Maori used the forest for hunting and the name Otari means ‘Place of Snares’. Following European colonisation, some of the large trees were removed for timber and others were burnt off for farmland. One of the early landowners, Job Wilton, preserved seven hectares (17 acres) of the original forest and fenced it off. This became known as Wilton’s Bush. In 1906 the forest was gazetted as scenic reserve. In 1926 the Otari Open Air Native Plant Museum was established by Dr Leonard Cockayne and J. G. McKenzie. Their vision to conserve the native forest, cultivate plants from all over New Zealand, teach people about native plants and advocate their use in horticulture remains the blueprint for Otari-Wilton’s Bush today.
Governance: Wellington City Council.
Collections curator/manager: Tim Park.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Alpine garden.
- Brockie rock garden.
- Conifer collection.
- Coprosma species.
- Divaricate collection.
- Fernery.
- Grass and sedge species.
- Hebes.
- Harakeke.
- Kowhai border.
- Natural forest.
- New Zealand broom.
- Olearia species.
- Pittosporum species.
- Plants for the home garden.
- Rainshadow garden.
- Threatened plants.
- Tree fern garden.
- 38°.
- Wellington coastal plants.
Scope of collections:
- 1,200 species, hybrids and cultivars of native plants. Collections are listed at http://wellington.govt.nz/recreation/gardens/otariwiltons-bush/collections.
Notable genera or species:
- Coprosma.
- Hebe (NZ Veronica).
- Olearia.
- Pittosporum.
- Phormium.
- Sophora.
Email: treehouse@wcc.govt.nz
Websites:
Location: Riccarton Avenue, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Area: 21 hectares.
History of establishment: Founded in 1863 when an English oak was planted on 9 July 1863 to commemorate the marriage between Prince Albert and Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
Governance: Christchurch City Council.
Collections curator / manager: John Clemens.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Herb Garden (started in 1986) has several plants of culinary and medicinal value.
- Rose Garden has more than 250 varieties of roses.
- Collections of plants from Asia, North America, Europe, South America, South Africa and other countries.
- Cunningham house- a large Victorian glass house containing an impressive tropical collection with an orchid/carnivorous plant collection and a cactus house attached.
- Fern house.
- Rock Garden contains some plants that remain in flower throughout the year.
- Heather Garden has several ericas and callunas, providing flowers and foliage year round.
- A portion of the Gardens has several species of Rhododendron and hybrids with several associated plants of Hosta, Helleborus and Lilium.
- The Water Garden has lilies and irises and has many mature trees and shrubs surrounding it.
- A mature Native plant section with a wide range of New Zealand plants.
Scope of collections: Collection records dating from the mid-1950s with 28,000 accessions databased.
Notable genera or species: n/a
Email: christchurchbotanicgardens@ccc.govt.nz
Websites:
-
Official website of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Other websites:
Location: corner of King & Queens Streets, Timaru, Canterbury.
Area: 25 hectares.
History of establishment: One of the oldest botanic gardens in New Zealand, established in 1864.
Governance: Timaru District Council.
Collections curator / manager: Peter Thomson.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Conservatory with endangered plants from around the world.
- Australian plants.
- Conifers.
- Native plants of the Canterbury region.
- Fern house.
- Bedding displays.
- Tree plantings.
- Herb garden.
- Rose garden.
- Woodland garden (with collections of maples and camellias).
Scope of collections: n/a
Notable genera or species: n/a
Email: enquiry@timdc.govt.nz
Websites:
- Official website: n/a
Other websites:
Location: Oamaru, Otago.
Area: 13 hectares.
History of establishment: Officially opened in October 1876, the Oamaru Gardens are one of the oldest in New Zealand. Provision was made to develop 13 hectares of public reserve between Chelmer and Isis Streets when Oamaru was surveyed in 1858.
Governance: Waitaki District Council.
Collections curator / manager: n/a
Garden areas / plant collection themes: n/a
Scope of collections: n/a
Notable genera or species: n/a
Email: csunit@waitaki.govt.nz
Websites:
Location: North Dunedin, Otago.
Area: 28 hectares.
History of establishment: New Zealand's oldest garden established in 1863 on a site surrounding the Water of Leith (now occupied by the University of Otago). After extensive flooding in 1868, the gardens were moved to their current site in 1869. The garden was extensively enlarged during the early years of the 20th century under the stewardship of David Tannock.
Governance: Dunedin City Council.
Collections curator / manager: Alan Matchett.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Alpine House.
- Arboretum.
- Camellia collection.
- Clive Lister Garden.
- Southern African Garden.
- Winter Garden Glasshouse.
- Herbaceous Borders.
- Herb garden.
- New Zealand native plant collection.
- Rhododendron Dell.
- Rock Garden.
- Rose Garden.
- Theme Borders.
- Water Garden.
Scope of collections:
- > 6,800 species.
Notable genera or species:
- Rhododendron
Email: botanic@dcc.govt.nz
Websites:
Location: Queenstown, Otago.
Area: 14.75 hectares.
History of establishment: The first two trees planted at the garden were English oaks in 1866 by J. W. Robertson, the first Mayor of Queenstown, to commemorate the incorporation of the borough, and in 1867 the gardens were officially opened and the major plantings began.
Description: Native and exotic plants and trees, walking trails, a large pond and a range of facilities (including disc golf, ice skating, lawn bowls and tennis).
Governance: Queenstown Lakes District Council.
Collections curator / manager: n/a
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Heritage trees.
- Rose garden.
Scope of collections: n/a
Notable genera or species: Protected heritage trees planted by the first Mayor of Queenstown:
- Abies grandis - grand fir
- Abies nordmanniana - Algerian fir
- Araucaria araucana - monkey puzzle
- Quercus rubra - red oak
- Quercus velutina - black oak
- Sequoiadendron giganteum - wellingtonia
- Tsuga heterophylla - western hemlock.
Email: n/a
Websites:
-
Official website of the Queenstown Gardens
Other websites:
Location:1 Carrington Rd, Mt Albert, Auckland 1025.
Area: 55 hectares, covering the whole of the Mt Albert campus, with all the trees and shrubs on site.
History of establishment: The original lowland forest cover was cleared for farming, which the Crown purchased from Māori in 1848. Shelter plantings along Oakley Creek, shelter belts and farm road trees were established for the farm blocks. The land was gazetted for the Whau lunatic asylum in 1863 and amenity plantings, vegetable plots and fruit orchards were added around the asylum buildings during the late 1800s.
Closure of the renamed Carrington Hospital began in 1980s, with the progressive sale of hospital grounds to the Department of Education for the expansion of Carrington Polytechnic.
Halstead Adams, Architects and Landscape Architects began to prepare campus planting designs in 1990. Avenues of trees were planted around the ring road and in association with new buildings. Commemorative gardens, such as the New Zealand Centennial of Women’s Suffrage garden was opened in 1993 (designed by the Landscape department). Memorial plantings of trees have been continued nearby for staff members who have died. Building developments in the 1990s required the design of a new wetland to treat increased storm-water runoff, which was designed by ISTHMUS Group landscape architect David Irwin, and received an award from the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects.
In 2011 Unitec adopted a Sustainability policy and funded several research projects. The Unitec Arboretum project has documented the trees on campus, labelled 100 trees, developed a website and self-guided walk of campus trees. Planting days have also been established for Arbor Day to revegetate the banks of the Wairaka Stream.
The Unitec Arboretum was officially opened in June 2013.
See http://www.unitec.ac.nz/unitec/trees/index.php/sample-page/history/ for further details.
Description: The Unitec Arboretum was established through the documentation and labelling of campus trees, and creation of an online website at www.unitec.ac.nz/trees for teaching and research purposes. The four distinct land uses of Unitec’s Mt Albert campus through the years can be experienced through the plantings of each era, from the early Māori settlers and the European farming communities through to the psychiatric hospital and the land’s use as an education institution.
Governance: Unitec Facilities Management.
Collections curator / manager: Penny Cliffin.
Garden areas / plant collection themes: The arboretum is divided into several 'parks':
- Ring Road avenue, planted in the early 1990s.
- Wetland area, created in the mid-1990s.
- New Zealand Centennial of Women’s Suffrage garden, opened in 1993.
- Memorial plantings of trees.
Scope of collections: >2,000 trees and shrubs comprising >200 different species. About 100 of the most significant trees are labelled.
Notable genera or species: see www.unitec.ac.nz/trees
Email: pcliffin@unitec.ac.nz
Websites:
Location: 2392 Wharekopae Road, Ngatapa, Gisborne.
Area: 135 hectares.
History of establishment: Plantings commenced several years after the property was purchased by Douglas Cook in 1911 and the collection continued to develop under the ownership of Bill Williams. In 1975 'The Eastwoodhill Trust Act' (1975) came into being. The Arboretum was designated as the National Arboretum of New Zealand for the purposes of scientific and educational purposes, and for the enjoyment of the people of New Zealand.
Governance: Eastwoodhill Trust Board.
Collections curator / manager: Ben Lyte.
Garden areas / plant collection themes: The arboretum is divided into several 'parks':
- The flatter sections:
- Corner Park, the first park that was systematically planted by Douglas Cook from 1927 onwards.
- Burnside.
- Pear Park, planted by Douglas Cook from 1950.
- Circus, planted from 1959.
- Steep hills and valley sections:
- Cabin Park, planted by Douglas Cook from 1934.
- Douglas Park, partly planted by Douglas Cook from 1945; then by Basinhead and Blackwater from 1961.
- Orchard Hill, planted from 1955.
- Glen Douglas, the last area that Douglas Cook started in 1963 when he was 79 years old.
- Springfield.
- Mexico Way.
- Canaan.
- Turihaua Park.
- Three Kings.
- Millennial Wood.
Scope of collections: Said to hold the most comprehensive collection of woody plants in New Zealand and possibly the largest collection of Northern Hemisphere trees in the Southern Hemisphere, including 170 species currently on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.) world endangered list. >4000 different taxa (species, subspecies, varieties, cultivars, hybrids) of trees, shrubs and climbers. Collections records contain some 30,500 accessions.
Notable genera or species:
- Rhododendron (220 taxa and another 250 azaleas)
- Camellia (c. 270 taxa)
- Acer (90 taxa)
- Prunus (80 taxa)
- Quercus (80 taxa)
- Malus (c. 50 taxa)
- Sorbus (44 taxa)
- Magnolia (40 taxa)
- Pinus (35 taxa)
- Abies (30 taxa)
- Juniperus (30 taxa).
Email: curator@eastwoodhill.org.nz
Websites:
Location: 187 Berry Road, Tiniroto, Gisborne.
Area: Arboretum: 56 hectares; native forest: 4 hectares.
History of establishment:
Hackfalls Station was first named Abbotsford by its original owners, the Whyte family, who immigrated to New Zealand from Scotland and acquired the Tiniroto property in 1889.
In 1916, the Berry family bought ‘Abbotsford'. Bob Berry was born that same year and grew up to be a farmer, inheriting the property in about 1950. Bob developed a special interest in trees for both their botanical interest and beauty and concentrated on growing oak trees, particularly Mexican oaks.
The property’s name was changed to Hackfalls in 1984 when Bob’s niece Diane Playle and her husband Kevin bought into and ran the stock side of the station. The name Hackfalls was chosen as this was where the original Berry family lived in Yorkshire, England - Hackfalls Wood.
Bob was then free to concentrate on the arboretum and in 1990 he married Lady Anne Palmer, an English horticulturist who established Rosemoor Garden in Devon. Anne’s expertise proved invaluable at Hackfalls as she extended the existing homestead garden and introduced a variety of new plants.
In 1993, Hackfalls Arboretum was made a charitable trust.
Description: Hackfalls Arboretum maintains >3800 oaks, alders, cherries, magnolias, maples and other plants. The collection of evergreen and semi-evergreen Mexican oak species is considered the largest private collection of oaks in the Southern Hemisphere.
Hackfalls has walking tracks, lakes and gardens to visit. The property is also a working sheep and cattle station.
Governance: Hackfalls Arboretum Charitable Trust.
Collections curator / manager: n/a.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Native forest, protected by a Queen Elizabeth II Trust covenant since 1985
- Arboretum
- Homestead garden
- Azalea area.
Scope of collections: >3800 accessions, with an online catalogue on their website.
Notable genera or species:
- Acer - about 160 specimens
- Alnus - about 80
- Betula - about 90
- Camellia - about 80
- Eucalyptus - about 90
- Hebe - about 50
- Ilex - about 60
- Magnolia - about 70
- Malus - about 50
- Populus - about 220
- Prunus - about 80
- Quercus - about 450
- Rhododendron - about 400
- Salix - about 70
- Sorbus - about 70.
Email: hackfalls.station@xtra.co.nz
Websites:
Magnoliaceae Collection at Lincoln
Location: Chamberlain Road, Albury, 39km west of Timaru.
Area: 6 hectares.
History of establishment:
This privately owned arboretum was established by the late forester and naturalist John Anderson, with plantings dating back to 1980. The arboretum became protected by QEII open space covenants in 1998.
Description: A collection of conifers, with well-marked walking tracks and all specimens labelled. Free public access. An illustrated guide to all the species in the collection is available.
Governance: Managed by the JA Anderson Arboretum Trust.
Collections curator / manager: Di & Bill Anderson, Glendonald.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- North American, European and Chinese conifers.
Scope of collections: 260 species.
Notable genera or species: n/a.
Email: bill.di@xtra.co.nz
Websites:
- QEII National Trust place to visit
- OurFuture profile
- RNZIH Associate of Honour (AHRIH) citation for John Anderson.
Alex McKenzie Memorial Arboretum
Location: Located near Otautau, Southland.
Area:
History of establishment:
The land history includes being confiscated by the government during WW2 to be used for flax-milling, then being used by the Forest Service as a nursery. Different varieties of conifers were planted in the 1950s and 1960s which formed the core of what became the arboretum. Now, run by a volunteer trust, plantings and upgrading continues.
Description: The collection contains a variety of pine trees from around the world as well as European hardwoods and some trees from Australia and South America. There is a small garden of native trees and shrubs. Recent work has gone in to clearing the crack willow from the stream with the aim of creating a wetland.
Free public access but donations gratefully accepted. The Otautau community places considerable value on the arboretum; please do not litter and in consideration of other visitors please keep dogs under control. Lighting fires is not permitted.
Governance: Managed by the Alex McKenzie Memorial Arboretum Charitable Trust, a volunteer trust.
Collections curator / manager: Trust Secretary. Otautau Office of the Southland District Council, 174 Main Street, Otautau.
Garden areas / plant collection themes:
- Pines
- European hardwoods
- Native trees and shrubs
- Wetland plantings.
Scope of collections: .
Notable genera or species:
Email:
Websites:
This list is being actively expanded. Please contact collections@rnzih.org.nz if you have additions or corrections.
The New Zealand Plant Collection Register project is largely funded by TFBIS (the Terrestrial and Freshwater Biodiversity Information System).
n/a = not applicable or information not currently available on this page.
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Last updated: June 4, 2022